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People who endured sexual abuse by Catholic clergy have expressed renewed hope following their initial meeting with the new Pope at the Holy See.

The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, commented that the pontiff's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership sent a strong message about his commitment to addressing the problem.

Global Zero-Tolerance Approach Pushed

The organization is advocating for a worldwide strict approach that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of abusing a child. This approach has been implemented in the United States.

The Pontiff acknowledged that there is "resistance in some parts of the globe" to this initiative, according to Hickey.

"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.

Legacy Issue

The new Pope, who assumed the role in spring, has inherited this persistent issue that has haunted the Church for many years.

Previous efforts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the institution and changes to canon law to explicitly criminalize abuse.

Personal Connection

For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is deeply meaningful. The North American activist revealed they were victimized by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.

"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."

Significant Encounter

Multiple representatives of the organization, which represents survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his Vatican office.

The meeting, originally scheduled for a brief period, lasted to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.

The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a woman victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.

They noted the Pope was "tender" about their own story and seemed "very humble, funny, and very down to earth."

"Survivors have long wanted a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey commented. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and receptive and eager to work with us."

Church Regulations Changes

The group is hoping that changes to church regulations will facilitate the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.

They have spoken with experts and gathered documents that they plan to present to the pontiff.

"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey noted.

Accountability Emphasized

A recent church-ordered report highlighted the "importance of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or removal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."

The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."

Path Ahead

The representative shared they told the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a dialogue as it was for us."

Following the meeting, they expressed hope for progress.

"We understand it's not something that's going to be resolved quickly, but at the conclusion, coming together and establishing a connection and persisting to build that relationship is a step in the correct path," Hickey stated.

They concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a dark chapter, I believe like we can alter how the narrative ends - he valued that."